This invention is related generally to video games, and more particularly to a remote control system for playing a game upon a color television receiver wherein a broadcast received by the receiver may be viewed interchangeably with the game, each without interference to the other.
Video games have increased in popularity ever since their inception nearly twenty years ago. Such games were initially stand-alone machines which were dedicated to the play of a single game. Video arcades sprung up to provide a greater selection of games which could be played. However, as their popularity grew and the state of the art of semiconductor technology improved, video games systems capable of being used with the family's television entered the marketplace.
Several problems arose as a result of the play-at-home video game revolution. Many systems were difficult to install as they required complicated cable connections to a conventional television set. As was often the case, the user's entertainment center included not only a conventional television set, but also a cable television channel selector, and a video cassette recorder. It was therefore apparent that careful and meticulous installation was necessary in order to interface each of such a plurality of entertainment means. Still other emotional problems were caused in a family situation where the children retained control of the video game and family television set. A means which would permit the children to play the video game, and yet give ultimate control of the television set to the parents would obviously be desirable.
Another more recent phenomena has arisen from the spread of casino gambling to Atlantic City. Millions of people from the East Coast annually flock to the New Jersey resort and spend billions of dollars in an ever growing number of casinos. Unlike their counterparts in Nevada, the Atlantic City resorts are primarily of the casino hotel type which permits a gambler to sleep in comfort at the hotel which houses his favorite casino. One drawback to such an arrangement, however, is that gambling is available only in the confines of the casino floor where security must be posted. This inconveniences the gambler who stays in a casino hotel by requiring him to play on the casino floor. If he instead wished to avoid the ever present throngs of people and play from his room, that option would be unavailable. A stand-alone video game which simulated various games of chance could be installed in each guest's room, but would be costly to the casino hotel. Furthermore, such an arrangement would be cumbersome for security purposes. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a means by which a gambler could remain in his room at a casino hotel and still enjoy the opportunities provided by gambling.